Mary-Jess Leaverland, born March 28, 1990, in Gloucester, England, is a singer and songwriter known for classical crossover. She began singing at nine with the Gloucester Cathedral Youth Choir. While studying Music and Chinese at the University of Sheffield, she took a year's placement in Nanjing, China, where she entered and won Min Xing Chang Fan Tian (I Want to Sing to the Stars), the Chinese version of The X Factor, securing a record deal. Her debut album, Shine, was released on August 8, 2011, under Decca Records, peaking at number 57 on the UK Albums Chart. Leaverland contributed to the soundtrack of Downton Abbey with "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" In 2015, she represented the British Council's GREAT Britain Campaign. Subsequent albums include Prayer to a Snowflake (November 2016) and Inspire (April 2018).
